


Episode 19 and 20's Meta based on the production boards

by DeXth



Category: Supernatural
Genre: 15x19, 15x20, Analysis, Gen, Meta, Season/Series 15 Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:08:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27503554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeXth/pseuds/DeXth
Summary: Since I have fallen into Destiel Hell once again, I had the idea to use my hyperfixation for good, for a change.So I decided to write a HUGE Meta analysis of what could be in stores for the last two episodes of the season.I based my analysis on the series' production boards (song of the day and quote of the day) and the info available online !I have completed the first part of this analysis (episode 19) in a little over 8 hours (non-stop hehe) so I might take some time before doing episode 20 !Anyways, I hope you'll enjoy reading this monster !
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Eileen Leahy/Sam Winchester
Comments: 8
Kudos: 8





	Episode 19 and 20's Meta based on the production boards

_1) The Show Must Go On – Queen_

QOTD : _“You give hope to those in the thick of their own wars, When they see how you have made peace with yours.” - Stacie Martin_

First of all, this song gives me a feeling of finality in a way, it truly is their ultimate chance of defeating God and most importantly reversing the tragedy that has just unfolded in episode 18. The song is epic, tying together hope and gloom.

The lyrics are pretty clear for this one. The song begins with “Empty places” and “Abandoned places”, this obviously refers to the aftermath of the snap- I mean Chuck wiping out everyone.

Who is left exactly tho ? Apart for Sam, Dean, Jack and some dog apparently, we have no idea who might be left ! Are the angels/demons ok ? It seems like Heaven's playground was empty but we can't know for sure, especially knowing that Michael is supposed to be in this episode (as shown by the promo pictures).

Anyways. The song follows with “Does anybody know what we are looking for?” which mirrors the question the brothers seem to be asking themselves this episode (with them going to a church and whatnot).

Then, the chorus tackles the Winchesters' reaction. As we have seen throughout “Despair”, Sam is trying hard to stay composed and not lose himself in grief over Eileen, Dean is BROKEN after Cas's death and confession, and Jack feels useless. This is perfectly exemplified by “The show must go on”, “Inside my heart is breaking” and “But my smile stays on”.

I know that a lot of us will be mad if Dean acts like he's okay after what has happened but we have to remember that they don't have time to grieve. They are in a dire situation and they are all hurting SO MUCH, plus they've lost EVERYONE. The situation seems hopeless. But they can't allow themselves to doubt, not now.

Then the line “Another heartache, another failed romance, on and on” is obviously referring to the separated couples we have seen last episode (i.e. Sam/Eileen and Dean/Castiel). “Outside the dawn is breaking, But inside in the dark I'm aching to be free” is, to me, the representation of their desire to be free of God's influence, to finally stop Chuck's cruel little game and take control. The dark here might be referencing what is their darkest hour, the worst case scenario they are facing right now.

The next couple of lyrics I particularly like : “My soul is painted like the wings of butterflies, Fairy tales of yesterday, grow but never die, I can fly, my friends”. The figure of the painted soul might represent the blood they have on their hands. They are going to wear their friend's death like some sort of war paint and use every memory, all of their love as an armor against Chuck/Amara. Of course that's metaphorical but, the idea is here.

Also, the line on legends might be a reference to the Supernatural mythos. The legends, monsters and knowledge they have keeps piling up and up and up, but it can always be useful once again. What happened once before, can happen again if all the pieces are still on the board. As for the flying part, that is pure hope, and trusting they can succeed, they have to.

Finally, a nice touch in this song is the ending : “I have to find the will to carry on, On with the show” which is pretty self-explanatory.

As for the quote, My interpretation is that they have to pretend like everything is not lost in order to lift each other up and well... Carry on.

_2) I Will Never Die – Delta Rae_

QOTD : _“We all have an unsuspected reserve of strength inside that emerges when life puts us to the test.”_

This song is very powerful. And the quote makes me feel like there will be twists and surprises, once again. Also the characters are going to dive deep inside themselves to find what they are looking for, may it be love, bravery or resilience.

On to the song. The first stanza is about the souls of the departed, and their sacrifice being useful (?) for the big showdown. Then the line “Cause I loved ya for too long” is making me wonder. My shipper heart wishes it was about Destiel but I'm really trying to be as unbiaised as possible here.

So, yeah it could refer to Dean's grief over Castiel and not being able to talk his truth in return. Or it could be about the brother's love for humanity. They have dedicated their entire lives to saving people (hunting things) and have failed to protect their loved ones in the most crucial time. They have fought too hard, for too long, for it to be in vain.

Then, “Come and light my eyes, Summer's kiss thru electric wire, But I'll never die” could mean A LOT of things. Here's what I think. It could be about Castiel once again, him being awake in the Empty, not ready to give up just yet, and asking to come back. Or, it could be a metaphor for the boys' hope and fury, not dying, staying aflame. Or it could even be Chuck/Amara being smug and confident. Almost daring the Winchesters to face them, confident in their immortability and invulnerability.

The following lines are equally mysterious (as most of these songs are, I'm afraid) : “Wrap your roots all around my bones, And when they all come for me, When they call my name, Cast my shadow from a bellow's flame.” This weirldy reminds me of Death, the OG and maybe even Jack ? The imagery of roots around bones, is something profoundly ancient. Again, this might all be about God's death or a possible Cas return ?

After that, one line is repeated several times and stands out : “You can bury my body but I'll never die”. This is either a very ominous threat, or a hopefull promise (dare I mention Cas again?). And a couple of lines at the end reinforce that impression : “In the dead of the night, I'm gonna lose this chain, I'm gonna run and run and run and run and run, Coming for you again” I MEAN.

This screams escape to me. Especially with the mention of the dead of the night which calls back to the Empty, chaining divine/demonic beings within itself. Or again, if I don't listen to my shipper heart, Chuck/Amara catching up on the brothers ? But it seems less likely to me, given the lines about loving for too long...

Finally, the line “Oh, So let the storm come” can only mean one thing, shit's about to go down. And it's probably going to get ugly.

I'm really trying my hardest to make this clear but we have only tackled 2 songs on 14 yet, and we as an audience can have no certainty (but don't worry, I will give my predictions at the end of this looong meta-analysis).

_3)_ _Are Things Still Burning – Em Harris and Dials_

QOTD : _“I am one part courage and three parts fear, Three parts love and one part bitter, Half risen from rock bottom and half still in free fall, You can either love me whole or not love me at all.” - AKIF Kichloo_

This song is a lot easier to understand thankfully! First, we have the line “I can't imagine life on earth now” which means this is the perspective of someone outside of Earth, or maybe the point of View of Chuck/Amara.

Then we have a lot of lyrics pondering on wether people's belongings are still in place or if their memories are intact. This reinforces the idea that this song is about people who are somewhere else.

The line “I want to know are things still burning or can I go home” is a big hint in that direction. In Unity, Chuck made his “fans” disappear and said to Amara that they were not dead, but somewhere else. Maybe we could see them ? See what's happened to them.

The line that keeps repeating is : “I want to know are things still burning, still burning down”, I believe that wherever these characters are, they might be someplace safe, waiting for the big fight to go down before coming back to earth.

But, then, “It's cold up in the fortress, the prison sold with bad life” makes me wonder. Instantly, the fortress made me think of Heaven (maybe Chuck/Amara is hiding there?), and the prison sold with bad life, Hell. Is Rowena still alive? Well dead, but does she still exist?

As for the quote, my god this quote... It makes me think of Cas once again (I'm still grieving y'all) because of the dichotomy between rock bottom (him stuck in the Empty) and free fall (him being a fallen angel and fallen in love with Dean). It also makes sense for the three parts love and one part bitter to be referring to Dean and his feelings after Castiel's suicide speech.

After a second glance, I believe it to also be about Humanity with a capital H. I can picture Sam and Dean telling God that he has to either love Humanity as a whole (them included) or doom them all. It's not possible for him to choose and be partial in this situation.

_4) Seasons – Chris Cornell_

QOTD : _“Remember, remember, this is now, and now, and now. Live it, feel it, cling to it. I want to become acutely aware of all I've taken for granted.” - Sylvia Plath_

This song kinda scares me, because the theme of seasons passing by makes me fear a time jump or them struggling for a long time, but I don't believe that will be the case here so bear with me. The song's overall theme is about the little things that make life worth living, and is very metaphorical.

The line “And My mirror shows another face” at the beginning, is hinting at transformation, characters changing into something they hadn't expected. This might be Jack becomming Death or even Amara taking control of Chuck, because she does not agree with what he's doing.

Then we have the idea that people may be somewhere else and not dead or not-existing again with : “Another place to hide it all”.

The lyrics “And I'm lost behind, The words I'll never find” could be about Dean and the fact that he has not been able to give his answer to Castiel. It could as well be about Sam and Eileen or Jack and Castiel, as they are all left with things unsaid after people dissappeared so abruptly.

“Dreams have never been the answer, And dreams have never made my bed” is particularly interesting, as the notion of dreams is tackled again, later on, in episode 20. The idea behind those words is that dreaming and hoping for a magic solution doesn't work, what they have to do now is act. I could go on for ages on the subject of agency in the context of the show, with Chuck, Fate and everything but I just don't have time for that now (sorry).

I know Cas is literally hauting me but these next lines seem to be referencing angels, or archangels if we take into account the fact that Michael will be in this episode : “Now I want to fly above the storm, But you can't grow feathers in the rain, And the naked floor is cold as hell”. These lines imply that Michael can't take on Chuck/Amara for some reason (maybe because Heaven is empty or something) and the angels who died are stuck in the Empty (and they are probably awake since Jack made it loud).

The next few lines are pretty big for me : “If I should be short on words, And long on things to say, Could you crawl into my world, And take me worlds away”. Do I REALLY need to say anything ? I will anyway. I really think this is going to be Dean praying to Cas, Maybe he will hear him, maybe not but this will be the first step to Dean speaking his truth to Cas, for sure.

About the quote, I love Sylvia Plath so I'm really happy to dissect this one ! This quote tackles the idea that the Winchesters can't ponder about the future, they need to focus on what's happening right as they happen, because they can have no certainty about it. This ties with the fact that they can't grieve properly as well.

The quote also shows that they really have to fight to keep going (psychologically) and they can only count on themselves. This is counterbalanced by the heavy themes of hopefullness in the first production board but this only makes their situation more nuanced.

_5) End of the Earth – MARINA_

_QOTD : “You'll have moments when you feel like a lion, and moments when you feel like a mouse. Just know that no matter how you feel, you still have a heartbeat and a soul worthy of love, so learn to roar even when you feel small, because you are more than the feelings you may have.” - T. B. LaBerge_

First, let's talk about the quote. To me, it's about courage, it's about holding your ground and believing in yourself against all odds (which is the Winchester's way of life). The part about being worthy of love is reminescent of what Cas said to Dean but it applies to Team Free Will as a whole.

Especially Jack, as he feels useless, but is still worthy of love and is part of their family. I don't know what else to say about this quote, I feel like I'm repeating myself. But our favorite characters are all hurting, they lost everything.

But even then, after failing everyone, they are still capable of making things right, and even if they couldn't, they are still worthy of love (and god knows how much we love them).

Now, the song is well... I don't think anyone can argue against the fact that it's a love song (Love, a prominent theme these last episodes it seems, huh?)

The repeating of “End of the, Earth” makes me think of the title of the episode, Inherit the Earth. Who will inherit the earth? What does it even mean? So many questions, but no real answer yet...

Then : “Love can never be what you want it to be, But I'd still follow you down”. I- I'm sorry I'm having a hard time processing this song right now... OK back on my shit! So these lyrics allude to conflict, it ressembles Castiel's “I want what I can't have” but it still stays positive. I am trying to stay as objective as possible here. Since the line refers following someone down, this could mean loyalty until death.

It could also mean Dean saving Cas from the Empty, in the sense that Cas followed him down to hell to bring him out (and therefore, up), and it would only seem fair that Dean saves Cas this time around. But why would he do that ? Him, Sam and Jack are currently trying to beat God and, as we've seen before, they have no time to lose. I'll get back to that later, don't you worry.

These lines are followed by : “Hmm, tell me why do we fight?” which embodies the despair they are feeling. They are probably going to see their faith waver when faced by seemingly insurmountable odds.

For “We're all living in the same universe, Where the stars collide as the planets turn” my interpretation is that it's a beautiful metaphor for their found family. They fight, they collide with each other all the time because that's what people do. They are all living in the same universe because they share so much, they literally all live in the same place, this is their _world_.

Then we have “But I'll give my love, I don't care if it hurts, 'Cause I'll love you 'till the end” which is semantically interesting. First we have the mention of love as a broad thing. The Winchesters are creature of Love, hell it's their love for each other that has caused so many of their troubles! This is a promise, they will all keep fighting as long as they can, but they will also keep on loving: each-other, the rest of the world, have empathy and compassion.

But then, the song says I'll love you, which is often considered a much heavier, more intense declaration. This is also a promise, between Dean and Sam, Sam and Jack and Dean, or Dean and Cas for all I know.

These lyrics are, once again beautiful (I love this song okay) : “If we're torn apart then I won't let go, 'Cause wherever we are, it feels like home”. The theme of homelessness and homefullness has been one of the driving characteristics of the Winchester bros. It only seems fitting that in the face of unevitable doom, home is where they can be together.

But then, what about Cas ? I can't envision the boys being home, without Cas. Yes they had their fights, yes they have been separated time and time again. But their relationship grew so much these past seasons, Sam and Cas have developped a real friendship, Cas is one of Jack's fathers and Castiel and Dean have always shared a more profound bound. Castiel has just been torn from Dean, once again, and I believe Dean won't let go of him, no matter what he feels for him.

This song leaves a lot of questions hanging, and as always with supernatural, Love can be viewed and interpreted as many different things.

_6) Angel with a shotgun – The Cab_

QOTD : _“Try to learn to breathe deeply, really to taste food when you eat and when you sleep, really to sleep. Try as much as possible to be wholly alive with all your might, and when you laugh, laugh like hell. And when you get angry, get good and angry. Try to be alive. You will be dead soon enough.” - Ernest Hemingway_

To say that these last songs are killing me, would be a gross euphemism. They are destroying me, but anyways, the meta must go on.

This song has always been used by the fans as an anthem to Castiel, which is why I have a really hard time imagining this song as a reference to anyone else. One of the first lines of the song is : “Get out your guns, battles begun”. Going into battle, guns blazing is a typical Winchester move, but these lyrics imply that the big fight has finally started. Everything's at stake and this is it, the moment we have all been waiting for since the season started.

Then, “Are you a saint, or a sinner?” could be a reference to both angels and demons, or simply the characters, who have all been both to a certain degree. Also, “If love's a fight, then I shall die, With my heart on the trigger” is the bottom line of this season. This is the ultimate season, the penultimate episode. Love has been referenced to be the Winchesters' true strenght, their true power, it only seems fitting that they would be ready to sacrifice themselves to achieve their last goal.

“Well baby, you are all that I adore, If love is what you need, a soldier I will be” is clearly Castiel. After Despair, it is now clearer than ever that Castiel adores Dean, and he is ready to lay down his life again and again if it means saving him, his family or Humanity. Because of his love for Dean, Castiel has discovered love, the Winchester's essence.

The next couple of lines are also pretty explicit : “I don't care if heaven won't take me back, I'll throw away my faith, babe, just to keep you safe”. This has been done many times during the show, and Castiel is literally a fallen angel who rebelled against Heaven, against God, for Dean. Castiel's true faith lies with team free will.

“Don't you know you're everything I have? And I, wanna live, not just survive, tonight” refers to multiple characters. First we have Castiel of course : he has lost substancially everything but a found family with Sam, Jack and Dean. Then we have the brothers of course, they are all they have left, with Cas gone and whatever is happening to Jack, that is one of the only everlasting truths of this show. These characters have all spent their whole lives fighting, enduring, surviving, they dream of a normal life (whatever this may be now) and to be freed from their duties. They deserve a break from holding the fate of the world on their shoulders.

The line “Sometimes to win, you've got to sin” has me wondering. What could this mean ? What sin could the brothers and Jack have to perform in order to beat God ? Maybe it simply refers to killing but I have to admit that I do not know.

Then we have “Yeah, they still say I'm a dreamer”, yet another reference to dreams ! What this could mean for the story is that action, hope and dreams work alongside. You can't beat the impossible if you don't believe in your capacity, dream big enough to dare and act on these thoughts ?

Finally, the lyric “And I'm gonna hide, hide, hide my wings tonight” is rich in meanings. It could mean giving up on divinity, or pushing away your sanctity in order to commit reprehensible acts, or even deceit.

As for the quote, it represents humanity in its simplest way. Living is rejoycing through the most simple aspects of mortality, despite said mortality. Every moment might be the last, therefore every moment is precious. It also inspires me novelty, as if someone was to discover humanity for the first time maybe ?

The part about being good and angry also makes me see Dean, and how far he has come and has to go concerning his anger issues.

_7) Lay it on the Line – Triumph_

QOTD : _“You go through life wondering what is it all about but at the end of the day its all about family.” - Rod Stewart_

The song starts with : “It's the same old story all over again”, which is a recurring theme on the show : Something bad happens, one of the brothers sacrifice themselves to protect the other, this unleashes something bad again, and the other brother now has to undo whatever's afflicting the other, sacrificing themselves...

Except this season is all about breaking these toxic cycles, it is the last season, and the writer (the one putting them through these troubles) is the big bad. So, with this line, we can expect that the same old story will actually take a new direction this time around.

Then, “You turn a lover into just another friend” is about rejection. But who could that be about ? I dare ask. It is obvious to me that this is about Dean and Cas. There are no other characters that have gone or might go from friends to lovers or from lovers to friends this season (and the last as well I believe). This song is about Dean's lack of response to Castiel, so buckle up kiddos.

“I want to love you, I want to make you mine, Won't you lay it on the line?” What do you want me to say ? Castiel has explicitely said that he loves Dean and that it is the one thing that he wants but can't have. Cas wants Dean, it's as simple as that, and the fact that Dean has had no time to reciprocate means Castiel is probably waiting for an answer from him, or at least a reaction.

The next couple lines describe Castiel and Dean's relationship through time pretty well, so I won't lose any time trying to dissect something that is so self evident : “I'm tired of playing all your foolish games, I'm tired of all your lies making me insane”.

  
Right after that we have : “I don't ask for much, the truth'll do just fine” which is, again, obviously Cas asking Dean to share his truth now.

The following lines mention time quite often : “Don't waste my time” and “You got no right to make me wait, We better talk, girl, before it gets too late, I never thought you could be so unkind” which might mean that their time is counted ? Maybe the situation is rushed, as danger is after them once again, or maybe it's because the end is so near, the characters are somehow feeling their time running out.

As for the unkind part, maybe it means Dean does not reciprocate Castiel's feelings ? I don't really believe that but it is still possible.

Then there are the following lines : “You know I love you, you know it's true”, and Dean does know that Castiel truly loves him because of his deal with the Empty. “It's up to you, girl, what've I got to do, Don't hold me up, girl, don't waste my precious time.” Need I say more ?

And what about the quote ? It illustrates the character's search for happiness and how the show has evolved towards that goal. The show's first ending was supposed to be a tragedy, but now, they might have a shot at a normal life, with no one toying around with their hearts.

Family can be many things, and as the show has taught us, it does not end with blood. Castiel and Jack are as much family as Sam and Dean. And Sam and Eileen are as much Family as the rest of the crew (dare I say Cas and Dean to each other). I truly believe this is pointing at a family oriented grand finale, whatever family may mean for each of them.

And now, on to the ultimate production board of this episode.

_8) Roadhouse Blues – The Doors_

QOTD : _“Our story has three parts : a beginning, a middle, and an end. And although this is the way all stories unfold, I still can't believe that ours didn't go on forever.” - Nicholas Sparks_

This quote is so simple, yet it hurts. Another reminder of temporality and mortality from the show. This marks the end of the season, a show that could have gone on forever, except this is the end of the ride. There is one last episode left, but this is a conclusion in and of itself. We can expect a lot of nostalgia, and revisiting some of the show's old memories from that quote.

This song is so undeniably rock that it simply belongs in supernatural, not only on the production board. We are going to focus on some of the first lines : “Ah keep your eyes on the road, Your hands upon the wheel.” This is very optimistic to me ! The boys will keep on driving, and the image of the hands on the wheel is probably a metaphor for gaining control on their destiny. They are the ones deciding where to go, where to turn and where to stop.

The following lines say : “Yeah, we're going to the roadhouse, Gonna have a real good-time” and I can't help but think of Ellen, who had a bar called : Harvelles' Roadhouse. I would absolutely love to see Dean and Sam go back to her roadhouse, as a tribute to simpler times and to celebrate their victory. Of course the bar has been destroyed a long time ago, but miracles can happen.

Then, we get “They dance for the people, who like to go down slow”. I interpret these lines as meaning the Winchester now have time. They don't have to live on the edge at all time, they can take some vacations, they can enjoy life and peace.

This idea of happiness and of the good ol' times is reinforced in the next lines : “Well, I woke up this morning, And I got myself a beer”.

Finally, we notice that the boys are not in danger anymore, or at least they don't have the fate of the world on their shoulders because of these lines : “Save our city” here is referring to someone else, delegating their role as saviors, and “The future's uncertain and the end is always near, Let it roll, baby, roll”.

And with that, we conclude our analysis of the Supernatural production boards. I didn't have the time to research what the scenes filmed might be, or where the quotes came from, but I did my best to give a literary in-depht look at these under exploited pieces of the show ;)

NOW, IT'S THEORY TIME

How do I think episode 19 : Inherit the Earth will go down ? Or what do I think will happen ? Well, it's pretty hard to guess what is going to happen, because, as viewers, we have no clue what the Winchesters are going to do next. But we can ponder.

I am going to write all my theories below, in no particular order because I have no idea about the chronology of it all :

I believe Dean, Sam and Jack are going to regroup and look around to see if they are truly alone.

Dean is going to find a dog, it may be a sign from Raphael (because biblical reference) or just another one of Chuck's game. The poor man might also be in need of emotional support yaknow.

Michael is probably going to be the presence drawing them to the abandoned church, he might have a plan, or just give them his help.

I think they are going to use the Empty during this episode, because of all the Castiel references.

I believe Cas might unite other angels/archangels against the Empty (which would explain the rumors on Misha filming scenes with Mark Pelegrino and the actor who played Uriel).

Dean might be the one to go save Cas, or he might save himself.

Dean is going to pray to Cas, and later have a talk with him or Sam about his feelings on the whole thing (Castiel's confession and his feelings for Castiel).

I think Dean is going to reciprocate, even though it might remain vague enough that there won't be a kiss but a hug or touch.

Amara is going to turn against Chuck.

The people who dissappeared are okay and they're all somewhere, maybe the Empty (which would be fun and LOUD if you ask me).

Team Free Will needs to go to the Empty to get Billie's Scythe again.

Jack will become the new Death.

Sam is going to get Eileen back and be in love and happy (please, i'm begging you).

I think the archangels are going to help in taking God down, such as Lucifer (awake in the Empty) and Michael.

Jack will reap Chuck/Amara.

Castiel will become human ? Or lose his grace or something ?

Although, I still have some questions : 

If Castiel doesn't come back tho, then I have absolutely no idea what all those songs could have been about. And I have no idea what's coming plot-wise.

If Castiel has the mark of Cain, how is him coming back from the empty not cursing him to a worse fate ?

What will happen to the bunker ?

If they rescue Cas from the Empty, how are they ever gonna escape it ?

If Lucifer doesn't die fighting God after getting out of the Empty, then he'll be free and dangerous right ?

How could they save only who they want from the Empty and not everyone ?

How to get rid of the Empty, because she can't go back to sleep for now (too loud) ?

Now all I have to do is take care of all my uni exams, write the analysis for episode 20, and watch how the actual episode will unfold !


End file.
